15, athletic, need alittle guidence

[DJmma]

I'm 15, almost 16. I am on the swimming and water polo team, and work very hard for it, and throughout the last year I have gotten in shape, and gained stength, muscle, and endurance. I am athletic, and have taken tea kwon do and hap ki do when I was little. I took Tae kwon do for 2 years, and hap ki do for 1. But i got bored of it and didnt get too much out of it. Now that i am older, I think i could take it more seriously and benifit from it. I want to learn a good martial art, one that's effective, and fun as well. I want to be able to handle myself, in a fight ya know. Not that i cant now...but i have always been interested in martial arts, and it would be fulfilling to get at one. I am 5' 11 165 lbs. thanks.

Workout Schedual:

monday- swim 5:45 am-7:15, swim/polo 3 pm-5, work out 5pm-6

tuesday- swim/polo 3 pm-6

wednesday- swim 5:45 am-7:15 am, swim/polo 3 pm-5, work out 5pm-6

thursday- swim/polo 3 pm-6 pm

friday- swim 5:45 am-7:15 am, swim/polo 3 pm-6

OR there is a swim meet or polo game inplace of "3-6"

saturday- swim 8 am-10pm, work out in the afternoon

sunday- free day woohoo

yea, full schedual...so, i would be starting martial art classes over the summer when i have more time.

so, any suggestions?

Edited April 4, 2006 by DJmma

[JusticeZero]

Well.. they're all effective, but in different ways. And most of them can be fun.

You didn't care for TKD. Why not?

[patusai]

Look at the various schools around you to see what is available and you may find something that connects with you. I would not rule out TKD either. Although you did not care for it when you were little now that you are older...sometimes tastes change. You have to take stock of yourself too. MA can be TKD, Karate, Chinese Kung fu type. There are other MA studies such as ju jitsu, Akido, judo and others that may interest you. Water Polo, from what I am told, is a very physically demanding sport. If you can do that and you can channel your energy into some form of MA I am sure that you will do good things. The best of luck to you in your quest

[DJmma]

thanks guys. its not that i hated tea kwon do, but i got bored and didint feel that i got too much from it. BUT i did have fun, which is important. I'll look into it more. Like many people, i am a fan of UFC, and i know that BJJ and Muay Thai are primary styles. Maybe one of them could be good. I also heard that krav maga was meant to be straight forward and effective. thanks for your impute.

[Ironberg]

If you are looking for something that has high priority on the self-defense side, juijitsu, some forms of Karate, many grappling arts, Krav Maga, Vale Tudo, many kickboxing forms, all have my thumbs up.

Cross-training is a sure way to increase self-confidence, and improve your overall arsenal.

[DJmma]

ok cool. and after looking into it alittle, I think i narrowed it down to either krav maga, muay thai, or jujitsu/wrestling. I'll probably go watch a class of each to decide. thanks

[DJmma]

and yes, patusai, water polo is VERY VERY physically demanding. I jumped into it with little previous experience in swimming, and it was a huge wakeup call. throwing up almost every practice, but it was worth it. I know how to push myself...I still do it almost every day. haha but my hard work over the last year has paid off, and ive become good at it. And so I think finding a good art would be great.

[marie curie]

Why not call up local dojos and ask if you can sit in on a class of each. Get to know the instuctors and the class dynamic. See what that specific school teaches, and how they teach. BJJ may be awesome here at my school, but not in your town... and the MT may be a little silly looking here, but awesome where you are. So... maybe check it out?